by David Risselada, America Outloud:
I like to rock the boat a bit, hoping that people will break away from the confines of the left/right media paradigm that controls so much of our thinking. Sometimes, this approach can get you into trouble, as certain beliefs permeate the public consciousness, and people have their aspirations wrapped up in the idea those beliefs will bring change. A good example is the topic I discussed in last week’s article concerning the gun control and mental health argument. The political right (and I don’t mean the politicians) heavily invests in the mental health argument against the left’s continued push for gun control. It seems to make sense because a person must be suffering from a behavioral disorder to be driven to commit mass murder.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
Mental health versus gun control is an argument taking place within the confines of a controlled narrative useful to the powers that be. It doesn’t matter which position gains more traction because they both will grow the power of the state. The average conservative jumps on board the mental health choo-choo train because there is a legitimate fear the left may win on gun control. It is an empty argument because most people do not understand the nature of what it means to use the term “mental health,” nor do they consider the increased power the government has for preventing violence potentially caused by mental illness.
When conservatives take the mental health position, they are empowering the government to enact red flag laws, increase the use of mental health surveys in public schools, and, most importantly, define everyday emotions we all experience as potential mental problems. The mental health angle aids the left in advancing gun control because once someone is adjudicated mentally ill, they are barred from gun ownership.
The public is told that America is experiencing a dramatic rise in mental illness and behavioral disorders, particularly in children. In the United States alone, one in twelve children is diagnosed with depression, ADHD, or even Bipolar Disorder, which, in all honesty, is nothing more than the extreme range of emotions, from one end to the other, that we all experience. These words have become such a normal part of our lives that no one bats an eye at them. How are they determining that so many children have these so-called disorders? What test is being administered? Are they performing a brain scan of some sort to identify a biological anomaly that proves the existence of a mental illness such as bipolar disorder? Nope. Such tests don’t exist. The primary method of identifying a problem is with a mental health questionnaire.
Be honest with yourself. We have all seen these types of surveys. The problem is that they use these surveys as a diagnostic tool to identify behavioral issues and prescribe powerful, behavioral-altering drugs. As President, George Bush started the National Teen Screen program in public schools. The intent was to identify and stop students from committing suicide because of depression. The only long-lasting result of this was an increase in the number of children being prescribed psychiatric drugs. This was in the early 2000s. If you stop and think about it for a moment, many of today’s mass shooters would have been in elementary or middle school at that time. Is it possible that these shooters’ mental illness is caused by taking psychiatric drugs for two decades?
Every time there is a shooting, the media reveals the shooter is on mind-altering medications, which further fuels the mental health versus gun control narrative. The question no one is asking is why the shooter committed the atrocious act while prescribed the medications. Aren’t they supposed to cure mental illness? The answer to that question is that no one knows. The prevailing theory of the cause of mental illness has been the mysterious chemical imbalance. Administer a survey that tricks an individual into admitting they are struggling with their emotions, have anxiety, or are unhappy about their current position in life, then tell them they have a chemical imbalance and give them a drug like a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. That has been the game, but the problem is that there is no objective evidence chemical imbalances even exist. Perhaps the SSRI causes the chemical imbalance because serotonin is a chemical produced in the gut, not the brain.
Mental health is more of a useful political term than anything else. The unfortunate reality is that it is a term that gives those with the power tremendous leeway in defining what is to be done about mental illness, and which people are or aren’t mentally ill. What causes mental illness if there is no evidence for the existence of a chemical imbalance? According to Thomas Szaz, psychiatrist and author of the books, The Myth of Mental Illness and Law, Liberty and Psychiatry, mental illness differs from what science recognizes as a brain disease in the sense that brain diseases like syphilis are identified as biological anomalies that may affect thinking and behavior. As mentioned earlier, there is no biological indicator for the existence of depression or anxiety. Physical diseases can be objectively identified and targeted with drugs, whereas psychiatrists diagnose mental or behavioral disorders through surveys designed to elicit certain responses. No illness exists within the body that is targeted through the use of drugs when it comes to mental illness, only observable, abnormal behaviors, which Szaz refers to as problems of living. These behaviors can be assigned to anyone at any time.
Read More @ AmericaOutloud.news
